smith



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-SheetJ 1.

J. W. SMITH.

LASTING MACHINE.

AN DREW BGRAMAM. PHOTO-umawAsNlNG'TON. D C.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2: J. W. SMITH. LASTING MACHINE.

*E* .M W'CWeA//e/,g/ 2511/ @2r/0121 l 1MW 975km /Cv/w/k l rra 'rane JOHNWV. SMITH, OF DERBY, NEV HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR VOF ONE-EIGI-ITH TO JOSEPHA. WYCKOFF, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of ALetters Patent No. 547,301, dated October1, 1895.

Application led April 4, 1895- ;Serial No. 544,418. (No model.)

T all whom it may concern:

county of Rockingham, State of New Hampshire, have invented anImprovement in Lasting-Machines, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likeletters ontheV drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to lasting-machines, ro the main object being toproduce a machine that will last shoes more rapidly than themachinesheretofore used. To this end the instrumentalities are so devised that alast, insole, and upper may be introduced into the machine without thepreliminary partial drawing over and attachment of the upper to the lastthat is commonly required to pre. pare boots and shoes for lasting inthe ma-V chines heretofore used.

zo The machine embodying this invention comprises a jack for holding thelast of novel,`

leaving the bottom of the last free on all sidesV for the operation ofthe edge-turning devices.

The machine also comprises wipers adapted to engage with the sides ofthe upper and 3o means for giving said wipers a lateral inward movementagainst the sides of the upper and` an upward movement, so that theyoperate to press the upper against the sides of the last and draw itupward thereon, thus tting it closely to the last.

The machine also comprises edge-turning devices adapted to actsubstantially simultaneously around substantially the entire edge of theupper to turn the same in over the insole, the said edge-turning devicesbeing provided with guides for lasting-tacks and when closed inconstituting a tack-guiding form by which the entire series of tacks maybe driven at a single operation by a suitable tackdriver composed of aform provided with a gang of drive-bars corresponding in position to thetack-guiding passages of the edgeturning devices when closed in aroundthe edges of the upper over the insole. The said 5o edge-turning devicesare shown as connected with the same supports as the wipers beforementioned and thus partake of the inward and upward movements of thelatter; but

, I they are yieldingly connected with the said Be itknown that I, JOHNW. SMITH, of Derry, i

supports, so that they can yield vertically downward after the wipershave been brought to their final position by their operating mechanism,the said edge-turning devices thus yielding under the pressure of thetackdriver before mentioned when the latter descends to drive the seriesof tacks and thus pressing the turned edges of the upper down firmly andsmoothly upon the insole when it it fastened thereto by the tacks. Bythus providing for driving the entire series of fasteningssimultaneously and by dispensing with the preliminary hand operation ofpartially fitting the upper to the last and tacking it thereon the speedand capacity of the machine are greatly increased. 7o

The invention consists in the novel combination of the foregoinginstrumentalities view; and Fig. 4, a horizontal section with the lastremoved, showing the wipers and means for adjusting the inner surfacesthereof to conform to the sides of the last.

The last A is provided with a thim'ble or socket-piece A2, rigidly fixedtherein and shown in this instance as having an external screw-thread,so that it is screwed tightly into the bore of the last. The saidsocketpiece is adapted to be locked down firmly upon the jack-post a,being shown in this instance as internally screw-threaded to co-operatewith the threaded spindle a2 in the jack-post. 9 5 In jacking the lastthe toe end thereof is supported upon a toe-rest a3, which may be ofusual character, being shown in this instance as vertically adjustablein its supportingframe a4 by nuts a5. The locking-spindle d2 is providedwith a hand-wheel or otherwise adapted to be readily and quickly turnedby the operator, and in jacking the shoe preparatory to lasting it isplaced upon the toe-rest and jack-post and the clamping screw or spin-Io 5 dle a2 then run up by aquick turn, so that its upper end screwsinto the socket-piece A2, iixed in the last, thereby locking thelastdown firmly upon the jack, while its tread portion is perfectly free andaccessible from above and on all sides. In order to bring the toe end ofthe last into firm contact with the toerest, so as to clamp the upperbetween the last and toe-rest at this point when the last is firstjacked, the jack-post a is pivotally supported in bearings at a6, sothat it may rock in line with the length of the last, it being providedwith an arm a7, connected to a rod a8, movable longitudinally in theguide a and provided with an operating hand-wheel d10, internallythreaded to engage with the threaded end of the rod cts, so that byturning the said hand-wheel up against the end of the guide a the arm a7is drawn down and the upper end of the jackpost a2 is thrustforward,bringing the toe end of thelast clamped to the jack-post, asbefore stated, to a tirm bearing on the toe-rest a3. It obviously willnot, as a general thing, be necessary to'operate the hand-wheel am, aslwith the toe-rest and jack-post properly adjusted the act of clampingthe last to the jack-post by its locking-spindle a2 will also bring itto a proper bearing on the toe-rest. The upper may be held in properposition on the last by the operator in jacking the shoe, as juststated, and when jacked will be retained in proper position forsubsequent lasting operations by the engagement of the toe-rest a3. Theupper thus supported is drawn and fitted properly to the last mainly bythe action of the side wipers b, which are connected with carriages orslides b2, having a substantially upward movement on suitable guidewaysb3 on oscillating side arms or rockers c, pivoted at c2 to the bed orframework of the machine. .i

Thus by a sliding movement of the carriages b2 on the rockers c,accompanied by a rocking movement of the latter, the wipers may bepressed against the sides of the upper and moved upward along the sameto press and draw it tightly to the last. The actuating mechanism forthe upward movement is shown as comprising rods b4, loosely or pivotallyconnected with the lower ends of the carriages b2 and with a cross baror yoke b5, having a forward movement in suitable guideways b, the saidcross-head being actuated by a toggle-lever 197 198, the joint of whichis acted upon and straightened by a cam b9 on a shaft Z910, adapted tobe intermittingly operated by any suitable power, its movement beingcontrolled by a clutch or otherwise, at the will of the operator. Thusin a half-revolution of the cam b the toggle-joint is straightened andthe wipers Z) are moved forcibly upward to draw and smooth the upperupon the sides of the last, the pressure of said wipers against the sideof the last being produced and controlled by the operator as follows:The rockers c are acted upon by cams or wedges d, the downward movementof which ltends to crowd said rockers toward the middle ot' the machine,and thus to press the wipers b, con nected therewith, against the upperand around the sides of the last. The said wedges d are shown asconnected by rods cl2 with an operating lever or treadle d3, adapted tobe manipulated by the operator, downward pressure ou which thus causesthe wedges d to press the rockers c and wipers b inward, as is requiredduriug their upward movement produced by the cam b, as before stated,said wipers thus frictionally engaging with the sides of the upper anddrawing it snugly into contact with the surface of the last. At the sametime the edgeturning devices are brought in position to turn or fold theedges of the upper over upon the insole, the said edge-turning devicesbeing shown as consisting of a four-part sectional form, each part e ofwhich is adapted to conform to about a quarter of the periphery of thelast-bottom or to extend from about the middle of the end portion of thelast (heel or toe) to about the middle of the side of the last. The saidform is divided on a longitudinal median line into two members, each ofwhich co-operates with substantially one-half the outline of the lastfrom the middle of one end to the middle of the other end thereof, saidmembers being sup ported, respectively, upon the carriages of the sidewipers, as will be described, and partaking of their upward and inwardmovements above mentioned, and each of said members is divided into twoparts or sections on a line transverse to the last-bottom, said partshav ing a movement relative to each other longitudinally of the last. Bythis construction the four parts when closed together produce a form ofdefinite size, shape, and position, and thus in addition to theirfunction of turning the upper down upon the insole and lastbottom mayalso serve as a guiding-form for the tacks or fasteners, so that theentire series of fasteners may be driven simultaneously by agang-driver. The two form-pieces e at each side areconnected with aformcarriere2,which is yieldingly connected with the carriage b2 lforthe wiper b on the same side of the last, so that said form-piecespartake substantially of the upward and inward movements of the wipers,but are capable of having an independent vertical movement owing totheyielding connections between the carriers and the carriages b2, saidconnection being shown in this instance as made by supporting rods orstems e3 from said carriers entering and longitudinally movable insockets e4 in the carriage b2 and acted upon by springs e5, orotherwise, soas to cause the form-carriers to move upward with thecarriages, but not necessarily to so great an extent, and also to enablethe said form-carriers and forms to move downward with relation to thecarriages when the latter have arrived at the end of their upwardmovement. The said edge-turning devices are also preferably connected,as shown, by rods b i912 Z213 with a treadle Z714, so that they may bepressed down upon the sole of the IDO llO

rgo

last by the operator. Springs b15 may also be provided, as shown, whichtend to automatically press the said devices toward the sole of thelast. The two portions of the edge-turning form at each side of the lastare longitudinally movable in a guide in the corresponding carrier e2and are operated in their longitudinal movement by devices best shown inFig. 3. Each form-piece is secured tending to separate the nuts andform-pieces `engaged therewith, and by its rotation in the otherdirection tending to draw the said formpieces together. t Thus as thesaid form-pieces of the edge-turnin g devices are closed in laterallyover the sides of the last by the action of the rockers c, as beforedescribed,` the hand-wheels e9 are manipulated by the operator, so as todraw the two form-pieces at each side toward one another longitudinallyof the last, thus closing in their end portions longitudinally over theends of the last, so that at the end of the operation the four-part formextends substantially around the periphery of the shoe, except as gapsmay be made therein or 1reft between the parts of the former to enablepinchers to be used to draw the upper a little more, if necessary. Thesaid edgeturning form is provided with a series of guide-passages e2@for tacks or other fastenings that are used to attach the edges of theupper to the insole and last, said guides thus coming to a definiteposition with relation to one another when the form is properly closedin, so thatlthey may be filled simultaneously with tacks, for example,by the use of a skimmer, such asis used in nailing-machines, which maythen be driven simultaneously by a driver provided with a gang of rodsor plungers corresponding to the guides ego. The said driver may bemounted upon a support, so that it may be swung out of the way while thelasting operations thus far described are being performed, and after theupper has been fitted to the last by the action of the wipers, as beforedescribed, and the edgeturning form has been closed in over the edge ofthe upper and provided with nails or tacks the driver is brought intoposition and descends, so `that all t'ne said tacks may be drivensimultaneously. The edge turning form yields on its spring-supports e5,before mentioned, as the driver descends, and thus comes to a firmbearing on the edges of the upper, pressing it into proper shape as thefastenings are being driven. The operation of lasting may thus beperformed with great rapidity.

Afterthe tacks are driven the pressure on the treadle d3 may berelieved, permitting the rockers to separate, springs e30 beingpreferably provided to cause such separation automatically and thus freethe last, which may then be unjacked by turning the lockingspindle a2,and the cam b9 is caused to make another half-turn, thus relieving thepressure on the toggle-arms 127 bs, when the cross-head b5 and carriagesb2 and appliances connected therewith will drop by gravity, assisted, ifnecessary, by the action of springs, when the machine is ready to haveanother shoe jacked and lasted therein.

Vhile any of the Well-known gang of tackdrivers heretofore commonly usedcan be adapted for use with the lastingmachine which forms the subjectof the present invention, it is preferable to employ the device shown inFigs. l and 2, which is designed especially for this purpose andconsists of an upright f, mounted in guides f 'on a standard or framef2, extending.. upward from the back of the base or standard of thelastingmachine, the said upright being connected with a shaft f3 in sucha manner as to make one complete up-and-down stroke at each revolutionof the said shaft under the control of the operator. The tack-driversthemselves consist of rods or pins f4, mountedin a baseplate f5, whichis connected with and supported by a guideway f, connected with the saidupright f. The said base-plate is provided with a handle f7, by which itmay be pushed back (from left to right, Fig. 2) in the said guideway, sothat it will be out of the way of the operator duringthelastingoperation and can be returned to its operative position, asshown in Fig. 2, when the lasting operation is completed and the tacksare to be driven. The said guideway and base-plate are provided withmeans for vertical adjustment, said means consisting of a spindle f8,connected thereto and having an operating- Wheel f", said spindle beingscrew-threaded to co-operate with an internally-threaded projection f10from the upright j, as shown. When the upper is properly fitted to thelast, the operator pulls the said base-piece containing the drivers f4forward in the guidewayf6 to the position shown iu Fig. 2, and thenoperates a suitable clutch or shipper, whereby the shaitf3 is caused tomake one revolution, so that the uprightfby its down movement drives thetacks, and by its up movement is returned to its normal position.

In accordance with the present invention means are provided foradjusting the inner surfaces of the wipers b to lasts of differentsizes, and also for changing the formation of said surfaces to lit lastsof different shapes. Asbest shown in Figs. 2 and 4.', this isaccomplished by constructing the shell vor frame of the said wipers inthe form of a channel (im, Fig. 2, into which project a number of screwsb, insertedin the` outer wall of said channel and screwed in from theoutside thereof,

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The Wipers proper consist of strips of yielding material Z218, insertedin said channel, and which may be reinforced, if desired, at the back bya strip of some stronger substance, as sheet metal, against which thesides of the screws Z117 bear. With this arrangement it is evident thatby adjusting the screws in and out the shape of the inner surface of thewipers can be modified as may be found desirable.

In order to render the machine still further adaptable for use withlasts of different sizes, the edge-turning devices c are so arranged asto be readily detachable from the shanks c6, which travel in thecarriers e2 and, as shown in Fig. i, are provided with tongues cw,fitting in slots er grooves cu in the said shanks c, the jaws of saidslots being provided with thumb-screws cl2, by which they are forcedtogether upon the said tongues, so as to hold the said edge-turningdevices tirmly in position. The thumb-screws c12 do not engage directlywith the tongues elo, but merely force together the jaws of the shank e,so that the said edgeturning devices may be laterally adjusted and whenin the proper position held in place by the frictional bearing thereonof the said jaws pressed together by the thumb-screws.

To insure the return of the operative parts of the machine to theirnormal positions after a complete operation, springs c3 and d4, Fig. 1,are provided, acting, respectively, on the rods cl2 and rockers c, sothat the said operative parts are out of the way of the operator and donot interfere with the jacking of the last preparatory to the nextoperation of the machine.

I claiml. The combination of side-wipers, their supporting carriages andmechanism for moving the same in a direction parallel to the sides ofthe last, with edge-turning devices supported on said carriages, andindependent means for pressing said carriages and the wipers andedge-turning devices supported thereon laterally toward the sides of thelast, as described.

2. The edge-turning devices comprising two two-part members andsupporting carriers for said members, combined with means for movingsaid carriers and the edge turning members thereon laterally toward thelast, and means for moving the two parts of each member longitudinallyon its supporting carrier, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

3. The herein described jack for the last comprising a supporting postfor the body of the last, a threaded clamping spindle eX- tendinglongitudinally through said post, and means for rotating the same toengage said spindle with the said last, and a toe support for the last,substantially as described.

4. The herein described jack for the last, comprising a pivotalsupporting post provided With a threaded clamping spindle, and means forrotating the same to engage it with the body of the last, a toe-support,and

means for rocking said supporting post on its pivot, as and for thepurpose described.

5. The combination with the jack, of sidewipers movable in substantiallyvertical guides andhaving suitable mechanism whereby they are thusmoved, cams or wedges cooperating with said guides to press themlaterally toward the last, and a treadle or similar device for operatingsaid cams, substantially as described.

6. The combination with thejack, of wipers for the sides of the upperand supporting carriages therefor; edge-turning devicescomprising twotwo-part members supported on said carriages and means for moving thetwo parts of each member with relation to each other, and tack guides insaid edge-turning devices adapted to hold a series of tacks in positionto be operated upon simultaneously by a tack-driver, substantially asdescribed.

7. In a lasting machine, adjustable siden wipers comprising a rigidshell or frame containing adjusting-devices, as screws, and a flexiblesurface portion cooperating with said adjusting devices, substantiallyas described.

8. The combination with the jack and sidewipers, of edge-turning devicescomprising two two-part members and supporting carriers for saidmembers, and means for moving said carriers and the edge-turning membersthereon laterally toward the last, and means for moving the two parts ofeach member longitudinally on its supporting carrier, substantially asand for the purpose described.

9. In a lasting machine, the combination with the jack, of side-wipersand edge-turning devices adapted to cooperate therewith,a carriage forsaid side-wipers and edge-turn ing devices, a yielding support in saidcarriage for said edge turning devices, and means for moving saidedge-turning devices with relation to said yielding support, as and forthe purpose described.

l0. The combination of the carriers for the edge-turning devicesprovided with longitudinal guides, of slides and means for moving thesame longitudinally in said guides, and the edge turning sectionsdetachably secured in said slides, substantially as described.

ll. In a lasting machine, the combination with the jack, of side-wipersand edge-turning devices adapted to cooperate therewith, a carriage forsaid side-wipers and edge-turning devices, a yielding support in saidcarriage for said edge-turning devices, tackguides in said edge-turningdevices, and a tack-driver, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribin g witnesses.

JOHN W. SMITH. Witnesses:

H. J. LIVERMORE, HENRY E. NEWELL.

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